What it means to be a tribute
by Winchestersliveon
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester live in Panem, and the Hunger Games are upon them. A story of courage and strength. Teen!chesters minor AU. Minor pairing Jo/Dean. Plot twists involved. Rated teen for violence. May contain spoilers up to s5. Much more to come!


Dean opened his eyes, and immediately shut them again, trying to guard against the early morning light streaming in from his window. _Why am I up so early? _He wondered. He tried again, opening his eyes, blinking confusedly. _There's something important happening today… _Dean got out of bed and was halfway to Sammy's bed when it hit him- _it's reaping day._ Dean fell on his butt abruptly with shock, the sound causing Sam to startle. Dean looked over at him with bated breath, and hoped he was a deeper sleeper than Dean was. He breathed a sigh of relief when Sam merely rolled over and resumed his constant breathing.

Reaping day, how could he have forgotten? The worst day of the year, reaping day was the day every person in District Twelve dreaded. The day when two teenagers would be taken from each district and pitted against each other in event of the year: The Hunger Games. Although Dean had been on his way to wake up his brother, instead he got dressed and headed downstairs.

"Morning Bobby." Dean half-shouted, forgetting that Sam was still asleep upstairs. "Careful, ya idjit, you'll wake Sam." Bobby whispered as he went back to drinking his coffee. Coffee; a rare commodity that was only saved for special occasions, usually when Bobby had been up all night drinking the night before. Bobby must really be worried if that was the case. _And why shouldn't he be? _Dean thought bitterly. He had his name in the bowl 47 times this year; whenever they had needed food Dean had insisted that it was his name going in, not Sam's. There was a good chance that Dean was going in the arena this year, and Bobby knew that. Dean didn't know what Bobby would do if he lost Dean. He had been like a father to the boys, ever since their parents had gotten killed in a mining accident when Dean was ten. _His parents…_ Dean shook his head angrily, not liking to think of his parents.

_Holy crap!_ Dean thought, jumping up from his seat. He had been so absorbed with his unpleasant trip down memory lane he hadn't even noticed the time. "Bobby, why didn't you tell me it was so late?" Dean exclaimed, moving towards the stairs. "Calm down boy, there's still plenty of time to get to the square on time." "I know, but I want to make sure Sam and I look good, after all, everyone will be there!" Dean called as he bounded up the stairs. He dashed into the room he and Sam shared to find Sam flailing and calling his name. Dean rushed over.

"Sammy! Sammy, wake up!" He was practically shouting in Sam's ear. Sam's eyes opened just as he shouted "No!" His eyes moved to Dean just as he enveloped Sam in a hug. "It was just a dream, Sammy, nothing more than a dream." Dean murmured soothingly in Sam's ear, brushing Sam's hair off of his face. Sam looked at Dean with panic in his eyes. "Dean! I was picked! I was picked and there was nothing I could do and they would let me see you and it was horrible…" At this Sam dissolved into tears. "It's okay, Sammy. Your name is only in there once. No chance of you being picked." Dean was sat up with Sam in his arms, and patted his back soothingly.

Sam's sobs subsided into hiccups. "C'mon, kiddo, let's get you cleaned up." Dean pulled Sam into a standing position. "Everyone's going to be there, so you want to make sure you look nice and pressed." "But Dean, that's so much work!" Sam whined as he flopped back on his bed and burrowed under the covers. "Jessica's going to be there." Sam turned beet red as he listened to Dean's teasing. "Dean, don't be such a jerk! I never should have told you I liked her!" Sam jumped out of bed and started chasing his brother. But Dean's 17 year old legs were much faster than Sam's 13 year old legs, so Sam had no chance of catching him. Dean ran around the room as he sang "Sammy and Jessica sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" "No, no, no, stop it!" Sam yelled. They both ground to a halt when they saw Bobby come up the stairs and into their room. Dean thought back to all the times their father had punished them for being too loud, and instinctively went to stand in front of Sam. He stopped when saw that Bobby didn't look angry, only mischievous. "What do you two idjits think you're doing?" Bobby said sternly. Dean looked over and saw Sam's downcast face. "We're sorry, Bobby." Sam mumbled. "You should be. Why didn't you tell me you had a crush on a girl?" At this Bobby started laughing, Dean joining him when what he had said registered. Sam turned as red as a tomato and jumped under his covers, which just made them laugh harder.

"Aw, he's adorable. Look at his little red face." Bobby teased, which just made Sam blush harder. Dean glanced at his watch, and shouted "Oh crap!" Bobby looked at his watch, and realized how late it was. "You boys get ready, and come downstairs when you're done." Bobby said as he walked down the stairs.

Half an hour later, Sam and Dean walked into the kitchen, washed, dressed, and hair combed. _I hate being like this. I feel so exposed. _Dean would much prefer to be in his dad's old leather jacket, hunting in the woods beyond the fence, but he had to admit, he looked good. Bobby gave them a once over and nodded in approval. "Your folks would be proud to see you boys like this." Bobby smiled. Dean glowered. He hated any mention of their parents, it just brought bad feelings. "We should go down to the square and register, everyone else will already be there." Dean said, eager to get away from the topic of his parents. Bobby nodded in agreement. With a feeling of trepidation, Dean opened the door.


End file.
